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2008 – The Year In Albums

Posted by John on January 1, 2009
Posted in: year-end. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

Despite my best intentions, I wasn’t able to post this list yesterday, so you get it on January 1st. What better way to welcome 2009 to the world than to show it what it will have to live up to.

adele-191. Adele/19 – I went back and forth between the top 3 for weeks, but in the end, the impact of a new artist releasing a solid, soulful and substantive disc won out. One moment sassy, the next downright depressed, Adele takes you on an emotional rollercoaster throughout “19”. There wasn’t a lyric sung this year that resonated with me more than “should I give up/or should I just keep chasing pavements/even if it leads nowhere”. This is definitely the start of a substantial career.

JMraz Del Ed2. Jason Mraz/We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Don’t get me started on this one. If Oprah can have her muses and advisors, then I call dibs on Mr. A-Z. “Live High” became my mantra, “I’m Yours” held multiple meanings through the year, “A Beautiful Mess” hit a little too close to home, and “Details in the Fabric” walked me through my darkest moments.

Will Young LIG Cover3. Will Young/Let It Go – I “found” Will this year. It’s not like I didn’t know who he was, but Will Young found a body of songs worthy of his interpretation. The title song moved me like few songs this year, and the rest of this opus didn’t disappoint, either. I may have to admire him from afar for years to come, but it will be worth the effort. Key tracks are “Changes”, “Let It Go”, “Love”, and “Won’t Look Down”.

Keane PS Cover4. Keane/Perfect Symmetry – Watching Keane grow as a group has been an interesting activity, especially with the way that their music has evolved. While many were more focused on watching lead singer Tom Chapin for some type of stumble after his time in rehab, I was more concerned about the music, and it didn’t disappoint. In addition, “Symmetry” inspired some pretty unique videos.

Solange HSA5. Solange/Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams – I’ve seen a lot of slogging of Beyonce this year when Solange’s album is mentioned, and while I have my issues with “I Am…Sasha Fierce”, I won’t play into those negative comments. Solange was in the enviable position of having the money behind her as a new artist to create a record that had musical integrity, and she definitely made the most of it. “Sandcastle Disco” was a revelation, “I Decided” stands as a tribute to those Motown legends that paved the way, and “Cosmic Journey” turned out to be a perfect pairing between Solange and Bilal. Solange, you are now forgiven for your debut record.

Kanye 808s6. Kanye West/808s & Heartbreaks – “Graduation” was my #3 CD last year, and it’s very possible that, had this come out earlier, “808s” may have been higher, but I hope that doesn’t detract from my respect for the disc. Kanye decided to take his pain and channel it into his work, and the results are, at times, breathtaking. “Paranoid” is a personal best for him, “Love Lockdown” is sonically stunning, and “Heartless” does a great job of bridging the gap between the current sound of hip-hop, and some new territory that only Kanye can take us to.

cookalbum7. David Cook/David Cook – This disc was a grower, for me, as I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by it on first listen. But Cookie won me over, and it is now one of my most-played records in my car. As I noted in my review, this is the CD that David was meant to record, and he doesn’t disappoint. It rocks, but with a bit of class that many of the cookie-cutter (no pun intended) rock groups can’t seem to find. Highlights include “Declaration”, “A Daily Anthem”, and “Come Back To Me”.

Killers Day Age8. Killers/Day and Age – For me, no release this year was as fraught with expectations as the Killers’ third CD, due to the amazing impact of “Human”. Would they be able to carry it off and deliver a consistent record, or would they have one flash of inspiration, surrounded by mediocre filler? Hopefully, you’ll gather my decision based on its ranking. “The World We Live In”, “Joy Ride”, and “Neon Tiger” all carried the torch. My only complaint about “Day” is the closing track, “Goodnight, Travel Well”, which just seems out of place. Anyone want to wager on Stuart Price coming back for disc #4?

Ne-Yo Cover9. Ne-Yo/Year of the Gentleman – I referred to this record as Ne-Yo’s version of Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous”, and I meant that as a high compliment. Not only did Ne-Yo come up with his most cohesive record to date, but he did it with style and diversity. “Year” is not a cookie-cutter of his hit formula; instead, there are multiple styles all working together to show some serious personality. It’s good to know that Mr. Yo wasn’t giving away all of his hits.

K Cole Different Me10. Keyshia Cole/A Different Me – Wow…the newest CD on the list, and I’m just blown away. Keyshia and her producers definitely stepped up, adding a level of sophisticated to her music that threatens to add credibility to the “next Mary J Blige” title that people have been throwing around for the past few years. Highlights include the trifecta of “Playa Cardz Right”, which features a downright spooky cameo from 2Pac, “Brand New”, and “Trust”, a beautiful duet with Monica.

Now for the rest of the Top 25:
11. Alanis Morissette/Flavors of Entanglement
12. Aimee Mann/@#%&*! Smilers
13. Ferras/Aliens & Rainbows
14. k.d. lang/Watershed
15. Sam Sparro/Sam Sparro
16. Shelby Lynne/Just a Little Lovin’
17. Coldplay/Viva La Vida
18. Lady Antebellum/Lady Antebellum
19. Mark Broussard/Keep Coming Back
20. Michelle Williams/Unexpected
21. Nas/Nas
22. The Script/The Script
23. Sheryl Crow/Detours
24. Janet/Discipline
25. Alphabeat/This Is Alphabeat

And while I don’t include EPs on this list, there were two this year that really rocked my world. Check out my write-up on Raining Jane here, and look for a write-up on Georgia Wonder in the next couple of weeks.
26. Raining Jane/Paper Nest EP
27. Georgia Wonder/Hello Stranger EP

How R&B Got Its Groove Back

Posted by John on September 1, 2008
Posted in: commentary, songs. Tagged: , , , , , . 5 Comments

Remember when R&B didn’t have to have “hip-hop” in front of it to be a hit?
Remember when R&B was something you could dance to instead of “groove” to?
Remember when R&B was fun?
Me too. And it’s back, y’all.

There is a palpable sea change going on in R&B, and it’s long overdue. R&B really got stagnant for a while, where it was the exception rather than the rule to cross over. It has gone from providing a compliment to the hottest rap tracks, to creating beats and melodies that will be sampled by rappers 20 years from now to acknowledge the classics that they are. While we listen, it is evolving at a fast and furious pace, catching a moment in time where people are hungry for something new. Those folks who aren’t stuck in tradition are heeding that demand, and the public seems to be eating it up.

-Case in point…Ne-Yo. You’ll get that feature article I promised soon enough, but this was pressing in my mind. Ne-Yo is single-handedly helping R&B get its groove back. And he’s not only doing it on his own records. Sure, “Closer” is a modern classic, and “Miss Independent” is already racing up the R&B chart, but take a look at last week’s #10 record from Jennifer Hudson, “Spotlight”. Who wrote that? Ne-Yo. Not so long ago, an anthem like that was either hip-hop inflected (like a Mary J. joint with Missy on the backup), or it was a quiet storm standard. Instead, Ne-Yo infuses the track with a more upbeat, melodic approach that helps it stand up to Hudson’s brilliant delivery, while still staying away from club banger territory. On top of that, it also lends itself perfectly to remixes (check the Moto Blanco Club Mix if you have any questions).

-Robin Thicke recently dropped some “Magic” on the R&B charts. Have y’all checked this out? Brilliant, I tell ya. For a guy who came to prominence on “Lost Without U”, one of the finest ballads of the 21st century so far, this is a great change of pace, and proves he’s listening to the direction that music is moving. The disco-era strings, Earth, Wind and Fire-inspired horns, and a deceptively sparse beat all come together to create their own form of magic. On top of that, Thicke’s delivery just simmers over that potent combination. [For an extra treat, check out the remix with Mary J. Blige, who he will be touring with this fall.]

-I’ve already raved a bit about it, but Solange’s “Sandcastle Disco” should not be slept on. It’s a grower, not a shower, but when you give it a chance, you’ll hear a summer theme that is light years away from some of the cookie cutter tracks Beyonce pads her records with. I will drop it, but she deserves to be mentioned here. [Chris Brown probably does, too, but it’s everywhere at the moment, and doesn’t need the additional promotion.]

-Out of all of the examples I can provide, none is as surprising as John Legend’s “Green Light” with Andre 3000. This track comes out of nowhere on some jangling synth riffs, an epileptic beat in the 140 BPM range, and a guest rap that actually belongs on the track, rather than one that is pasted in well after the track is deemed finished. I don’t know if this is John’s true direction, or if some of Kanye’s diverse influence is rubbing off, but it’s definitely hot.

Reviewin’ the Field

Posted by John on August 30, 2008
Posted in: reviews. Tagged: , , . 6 Comments

As promised, here is my first batch of CD reviews for your perusal. Trust me when I say that titles will be all over the place. My taste in music runs from pure pop to R&B, hip-hop, country, dance, alternative, and even fringe stuff like bluegrass. No matter where my musical taste goes, though, there always seems to be a pop sensibility to the music I like, so that’s where my pop music definition lies. “If I like it, it must be pop.”

– Amy Grant, “Lead Me On: 20th Anniversary Edition” – Amy’s liberation from her old label Word has so far been an interesting transition to Sparrow. Because of her status (and a smart contract negotiation), all of her masters have followed her to Sparrow, and they are taking advantage of that by re-releasing older material while waiting for new music to be recorded. Back in 2007, Sparrow said that they would be remastering her older music as they re-release it, but I don’t see any trace of that on this reissue and the booklet says that this was remastered by Bob Ludwig. In addition, there are some cool acoustic and live versions of the music that really helped bridge Amy’s crossover from strictly Christian pop to a more mainstream audience.

The original music definitely withstands the test of time, and is among my all-time favorite albums. While there are very blatant Christian themes floating throughout the record, even folks who aren’t explicitly Christian can find some common themes about finding your way and your place in the world. To a 19-year-old dealing with so many personal struggles at the time of this record’s release, it was a revelation. None of the impact of this record has diminished in my mind over the last 20 years. The live tracks capture that excitement, and you can feel her deep enthusiasm for the then-new material. Makes me wish I’d been able to see her live back then.

What doesn’t work as well, though, are the acoustic recordings. That earnest, longing vibe that Amy imbued every song with in her youth gives way to a more mellow, longing tone, as if she wishes she were back in those days, and some of the impact of the originals is lost. Having said that, they are beautiful recordings, and if I didn’t have the originals to compare them to, I think I would be raving about them. But as a whole, I’m not sure that the extra material is worth the new version without remastered versions of the original to make it worth your while.
Original – A+; New Material – B

– Lady Gaga, “The Fame” – I have friends and acquaintances that have already annointed this record the Album of the Year, but I’m not quite there. As dance/pop records go, this is definitely high quality, but I am just not feeling the magnitude of the praise just yet. Lady G (aka Stefani Germanotta) cites 70s and 80s influences, including David Bowie, and that’s apparent in her music.

My issue is that sometimes when the influence is easy to hear, it’s distracting from artist’s true vision and message, because utilizing someone else’s influence will automatically jade your opinion if you’re familiar with the source material. And herein lies my problem…I can hear the David Bowie, the Madonna, and the new wave influences. A song like “I Like It Rough”, which doesn’t exactly have heavy-duty lyrical content, sounds like a lighter version of something that Terri Nunn would have sung back in the heyday of Berlin’s run on the charts. If you’re going to lean on your influences that heavily, you have to really step up and make it shine even brighter than the original source.

Don’t get me wrong…there are some amazing tracks here. “Just Dance” set the stage for this record’s release perfectly, “Love Game” is nasty pop at its finest (“Let’s have some fun/this beat is sick/I wanna take a ride on your disco stick”), and the shuffling beat of “Again Again” does exactly what other tracks on this album fail to do; bring something new to the table. It’s a great first effort, and I hope she gets a chance to record a second album, but she’s only partway up the mountain so far. [FYI…this is the Canadian release of the CD. From what I’ve read, the US release (due late October) will have at least one different track. Why they are waiting on the release, I have no clue.]
The Fame – B-

– Solange, “Sol-Angel and The Hadley St. Dreams” – Remember what I was saying about bringing something new to the table? Solange gets it. Say what you want to say about the Knowles clan, but they’ve got some impressively impeccable taste in music. Take “Dancing in the Dark” (not The Boss)…Herb Alpert horns, xylophones, and melodies that are reminiscent of the Motown sound, and yet her arrangement and delivery bring it right up to date.

Throughout this CD, you hear a very clear R&B influence, but the directions that Solange takes it are impressive for a 22-year-old woman. That’s not to say someone younger isn’t capable of this, but I think she has paid attention to her influences not only in a stylistic way, but has also noted the FEELING that goes along with those influences. Sometimes her sister has runs in a song for show, but not really for depth. Solange’s delivery matches each and every song, not distracting from the mood or the environment that she’s attempting to set up. There’s no fear on this record, just joy. “I Decided” is one such piece of joy, soaring with melodies reminiscent of Martha and the Vandellas, but with one toe firmly on the 21st century firmament. Current single “Sandcastle Disco” is brilliant in several ways, but probably the most important way to me is that there is nothing else like it on the radio like it, which may mean that it never gets played on the radio. The video debuted at #4 on TRL this week, though, so hopefully that’s a good start.

If I have any qualms about the CD, it’s that some of the songs hit a little too close to Beyonce territory. “Valentine’s Day” sounds like an extra track from the “B-Day” sessions, but you’ve got to cut her a little slack, since she’s actually written songs for Beyonce (“Get Me Bodied” comes to mind). That’s a minor complaint, though. If I was pressed to start picking CDs for my Best Of list this year, “Sol-Angel” would be on that short list.
Sol-Angel – A